1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to a fiber optic connector inspection display system, and more particularly, a fiber optic connector inspection display system which is capable of associating and linking related images and displaying the same.
2. Related Art
Fiber and connector contamination is a key contributor to network downtime and there is a need to document that fibers and connectors have been properly cleaned during installation and subsequent network activation and maintenance tasks. Clean fiber optic components are a requirement for quality connections between fiber optic equipment. One of the most basic and important procedures for the maintenance of fiber optic systems is to clean the fiber optic equipment.
Any contamination in the fiber connection can cause failure of the component or failure of the whole system. Even microscopic dust particles can cause a variety of problems for optical connections. A particle that partially or completely blocks the core generates strong back reflections, which can cause instability or failure in the laser system. Dust particles trapped between two fiber faces can scratch the glass surfaces. Even if a particle is only situated on the cladding or the edge of the end-face, it can cause an air gap or misalignment between the fiber cores which significantly degrades the optical signal.
Typically, technicians are given very basic tools, such as miniature optical microscopes or crude video microscopes to perform inspections, but these can neither document results nor provide pass/fail analysis. Thus, some fibers may not be inspected at all and those that are at the mercy of the subjective decisions of field technicians.
Further, if the technicians are given a task to inspect and take a snap shot of condition of the equipment at one point in time and come back in the future at a different point in time to repeat the same task, there is no easy way to linking the related snapshots of the equipment to compare the images efficiently.